Sakhile Dube

South Africa

Journalist at Freelance

Featured in: Favicon

techcabal.com Favicon

iol.co.za

persfin.co.za

Articles

"Starlink should be in South Africa only if it plays by our rules"

1 week ago | techcabal.com | Sakhile Dube

On May 23, South Africa’s Communications Minister, Solly Malatsi, released a policy amendment to allow multinational corporations to use Equity Equivalent Investment Programmes (EEIPs) as an alternative to the strict Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) ownership.
8 out of 10 South Africans buy their prepaid cellphones from Pepkor

1 week ago | techcabal.com | Sakhile Dube

Pepkor, a major South African retailer, now sells eight out of every ten prepaid phones in the country, up from seven last year, according to its interim financial results for the six months ending March 2025, released on Tuesday. The retailer’s prepaid phone sales rose 17% in the same period, as demand for affordable mobile devices surged. Pepkor stores are well-known for their affordability, catering to around 34.3 million low-income earners – about 63.5% of South Africa’s population.
South Africa's ICT policy is a move to push for Starlink entry

2 weeks ago | techcabal.com | Sakhile Dube

South Africa’s Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Solly Malatsi, has announced a new policy direction in an effort to modernise the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment regulation in the ICT sector, a move that could bring Starlink in the country. Currently, South Africa’s ICT licensing regulations require that at least 30% of a company’s ownership is held by historically disadvantaged South Africans.
Starlink's future in South Africa still uncertain after high-stake talks

2 weeks ago | techcabal.com | Sakhile Dube

The operation of Starlink in South Africa remains unclear after Wednesday’s high-stakes meeting between President Cyril Ramaphosa and Donald Trump, who were joined by Elon Musk. The talks took place amid a backdrop of heightened tensions, with the agenda largely focused on accusations surrounding South Africa’s racial policies and land reform, leaving the status of any Starlink-related negotiations unclear.
MTN's MoMo Pay enters the payments market with 0.5% fee

2 weeks ago | techcabal.com | Sakhile Dube

MTN South Africa has entered the competitive payments market with MoMo Pay, a low-cost digital payment platform designed for informal merchants. Over 95% of transactions in South Africa’s informal sector are still cash-based, exposing traders to theft, limiting access to credit, and excluding millions from the formal economy. MTN says MoMo Pay is a response to this gap.
U.S. remittance tax plan threatens Africa’s foreign inflows

2 weeks ago | techcabal.com | Sakhile Dube

A proposed U.S. bill to impose a 5% tax on all outbound remittance transfers from non-citizens could divert as much as $2.8 billion from Sub-Saharan African economies in 2025, threatening one of the region’s most stable sources of foreign exchange. Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya stand to be among the hardest hit.
Zaio, an AI-powered edtech, helps students land top jobs

2 weeks ago | techcabal.com | Sakhile Dube

In a country grappling with about unemployment rate and a drop in tech hiring activity due to a persistent skills mismatch, finding a job in South Africa’s competitive tech industry can feel like a long shot. While universities continue to produce graduates, many enter the job market lacking the practical, in-demand skills that employers need. This skills mismatch means it often takes graduates six to twelve months to secure employment, if they can at all.
AURA, SA-founded platform, raises $14.6 million to expand to U.S

3 weeks ago | techcabal.com | Sakhile Dube

AURA, a South African lifesaving technology platform, has raised €13.5 million ($14.6 million) in Series B funding to drive its expansion into the United States and broaden its global footprint, aiming to operate in nearly 50 countries within two years. The round was co-led by the Cathay AfricInvest Innovation Fund (CAIF) and global venture capital firm Partech, bringing AURA’s total funding to €21 million ($22.8 million).
South Africa’s fintech startups make FT fastest-growing firms list

3 weeks ago | techcabal.com | Sakhile Dube

Three South African fintech startups, Paymenow, TymeBank, and Omnisient, have been named in the Financial Times (FT) Africa’s Fastest-Growing Companies 2025 ranking. Now in its fourth year, the FT ranking, developed in collaboration with research firm Statista, evaluates businesses based on their compound growth rate from 2020 to 2023, providing a retrospective analysis of corporate expansion across Africa.
Spar enters South Africa’s mobile market with MTN-backed MVNO

3 weeks ago | techcabal.com | Sakhile Dube

Spar Group, the South African retail giant, is expanding into telecoms with the launch of Spar Mobile, a prepaid mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) built in partnership with megsApp and backed by MTN. The move deepens the convergence of retail and telecom in Africa’s most developed mobile market, where affordability and loyalty-driven models are reshaping competition.